Mail-catcher.



D. M. NEWMAN.

MAIL OATOHER.

Arruoumn FILED r2342, 1914.,

1 1 1 5 330. Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

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UNITE STTES PATENT @FFTQF.

DILLARID 1VI. NEWMAN, OF GALENA, OHIO,'ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANGYLBEABDSLEE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

MAIL-CATGHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DILLARD M. NEWMAN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Galena, in the county ofDelaware and State of Ohio, have invented certain new andusefulImprovements in Mail Catchers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to mail catchers and aims particularly to provide adevice of this type for catching the mail from a moving train.

I have found that it frequently happens that mail bags are caused toroll under the train and be cut up when they are simply tossed out ofthe mail car and again they are apt to roll down the side of a hill ifthey should happen to be thrown from a mail car while passing along ahill. Further, where the mail is simply tossed out of the car, theofficial is depended upon to throw it out at the correct place.

My invention takes the form of a means for suspending a mail sack or aplurality of sacks from the side of a moving train and causing thesuspended sack to strike an abutment to be thereby removed. I

My invention also contemplates the provision of a bracket arm movable toa position inside or outside of the car, as may be desired. This bracketarm is caused to be held in its outside operative position in a mannerthat when the sack strikes an abutment, the bracket arm will bepermitted a rearward movement to alleviate the impact as much aspossible.

The preferred embodiment of my inven tion is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which similar characters of reference designatecorresponding parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing my invention applied to a mail car, the caritself being shown in section and somewhat diagrammatically, Fig. 2 isan enlarged front elevation of my invention itself, showing the car asbroken away and showing the bracket arm in broken lines in two differentpositions, Fig. 3 is a top view of a member forming the lower bearingfor the vertical rod used by me, Fig. 4 is a section of a structureshown in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a section of the upper bracket for thevertical rod, Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the bracket shown in Fig. 5,,Fig. 7 is a central vertical section of the bracket arm itself, Fig. 8is a bottom view of this bracket arm, Fig. 9 is a face view of a blanketmember used by me, Fig. 10 is a view showing this blanket member foldedto form a sack, and, Fig. 11 is a detail view of the end portion of themail sack supporting bracket.

In the drawings, I have designated the mail car as 1, which mail car isprovided with an opening 2 and wheels andaxles 3, running upontrack-rails 4. My invention is itself applied directly adjacent the dooropening 2 and comprises a vertical rod 5, suitably journaled at itsupper end by means of the bearing 6 and at its base by means of thebearing 7, which is shaped after the manner of a thrust bearing, beingprovided with a socket such as shown at 8. The rod 5 is further rigidlyprovided with a key 9, which key is located somewhat above the level ofthe'floor as is more clearly shown in Fig. 2. Upon this rod 5 isadapted. to slide a bracket member 10, this bracket member being alsorotatably mounted upon the rod and being further provided with a key-way11 adapted to cooperate, under certain conditions, with the key 9. Thebody 12 of the bracket 10 is provided atits lower end with downwardlyprojecting V-shaped lugs 13, which lugs form a cam face for the bracketitself and are adapted to cooperate with similarly formed depressions14: in the upper portion of the lower bearing 7.

Ihave shown a supporting standard 15 having a bracket arm 16, upon whichis adapted to be hung a mail bag or two to be collected by the train inpassing. This is all of the well known type and further description ofthis feature, is not believed to be necessary. However, I have alsoprovided.

an abutment to serve in connection with the bracket 10, this abutmentbeing shown as a post 17 securely held in position and being furtherprovided with brace rods 18 which brace rods" are disposed in planesoblique to a plane passing centrally through the post 17 and parallelwith the track rails. The purpose of this oblique arrangement will beclearly set forth hereinafter.

It is often desirable to unload a plurality of sacks at one point and inorder that my invention may apply to cases of this kind,

I have provided a blanket 19, which blanket is adapted to be folded upas is shown in Fig. 10, to form a sack to contain the desired number ofbags. It will be noted that the four corners of this blanket areprovided with rings, the rings 20 being somewhat larger in diameter thanthe ring 21. Should it be desired to form a sack out of this blanket,the mail bags are placed thereon and the four corners raised and thesmall ring 21 being thereafter passed through each of the larger rings20. After this has been done, the entire mass may be held supported onthe bracket arm by means of the small ring 21.

The operation of my device is as follows: As the train approaches astation, the ofiicial places the mail sack upon the bracket 10. It is tobeunderstood that the bracket 10' may be slid vertically upon the rod 5and, when the key-way 11 is caused to register with the key 9, theentire bracket may be moved to some considerable distance above thefloor level of the car and swung inwardly to the position shown inbroken lines in Fig. 1. It is in this position that the official maymost conveniently place the mail sacks on the bracket for delivery.After this, the bracket may be swung outwardly and allowed to descend tothe position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, in which position the camfaces upon its lower side caused by the V-shaped projections 13, arecaused to coincide with the V-shaped depressions 14: formed in the endthrust bearing 7. Because of these V-shaped formations, the bracket willbe maintained in its outermost position against any ordinary windresistance, but upon the mail bag striking the post 17, the shock willbe somewhat absorbed by the cam 13 riding upon the upper face of the endbearing 7 and be swung rearwardly to assume a position at ninety degreesto that shown in Fig. 1. Further, the braces 18 being disposed in thepeculiar oblique manner as has been heretofore related, form a pocketfor securely confiningthe discharged bags and thus prevent them fromfalling beneath the wheels of the train or becoming otherwise lost. Itwill be noted that I have extended. the keyway 9 downwardly to aposition slightly clearing the bracket 10 when the V-shaped projections13 are out of their corresponding sockets 14. This structure preventsthe bracket itself from being forced up the vertical rod provide a spacesuflicient to accommodate the ring 21 when the same is suspended on thefree end of this arm and the clip may then be moved into the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 11, to resiliently maintain the sack in suchposition. It will be understood that the mail sack striking an abutment,the force will be sufiicient to disengage the sprin clip to move it tothe position shown in broken lines.

What I claim, is:

l. A mail catcher for railroads comprising a vertical rod carried by acar at its door opening, a key on said rod at some distance above thefloor level of the car, a bracket slidable and rotatable on said rod andhav-- ing a key-way therein to fit said key, a cam face on the lower endof said bracket, and a bearing for the lower end of said vertical rodand formed toform a seat to coincide with said cam face when saidbracket is swung to its outermost position.

2. A mail catcher for railroads comprising a vertical rod carried by acar at its dooropening, brackets slidable and rotatable on said rod andhaving a key-way therein, a cam face on the lower endof said bracket, abearing for the lower end of said vertical rod and formed to form a seatto coincide with said cam face when said bracket is swung to itslowermost and outermost posi? tion, and a key on said vertical rodterminating at a point to clear the upper face of said bracket when itis in its lowermost position and having its cam face disposed at ninetydegrees to the complemental seat formed in said bearing.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DILLARD M. NEWMAN. WVitnesses:

ANOYL BEARDSLEE, WALTER E. L. BOOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of .Batents, Wilmington, D. 0."

